OAKLAND, CA | Encinal Tower (1938 Broadway) | 715 FT / 218 M | 56 FLOORS - Page 2

San Frangelino · #21 Posted **Sep 10, 2008, 3:15 AM**

More renderings from : http://www.abetteroakland.com/the-ta...one/2008-09-09

I like this one with the (possible) future San Francisco skyline in the background!

I quite like this building. If it were to be built it would lessen the pain felt after the transbay terminal competition.

Cory · #22 Posted **Sep 10, 2008, 5:05 AM**

I am liking the two new Broadway towers going up in downtown. This one and the one filling in the corner of the block neighboring the historic Keystone building. This proposal looks a little like Oracle Arena.

Reminiscence · #23 Posted **Sep 10, 2008, 5:36 AM**

Part of the building looks like a gigantic grand staircase, a touch of elegancy if you will. I very much like this building and hope it brings some attention to the Oakland area for skyscrapers.

San Frangelino · #24 Posted **Sep 20, 2008, 4:32 AM**

Even more Encinal Tower Renderings from http://www.abetteroakland.com/encina...ngs/2008-09-18

Quote:

sf94114 · #25 Posted **Sep 20, 2008, 8:44 AM**

I disagree w/ post #20 by gophertherapist... I have yet to figure out how to box and move someones quote...anyway... The Planning Commission, Ron Dellums, The City Council, the Planning Department, etc. all strongly support this project. The Planning Department is currently working on redoing their zoning for Downtown, and the core corridors Downtown will not have any height limits at all. Ron Dellums... and god that man is utterly useless...but at least he is very supportive of no height limits. I also know that people in Planning support this as well. It is not going to get watered down. This is not to say though that Oakland will not make them just through hoops but I guarentee you that Oakland is going to try to make those hoops as easy for Senor Wang to jump through!

peanut gallery · #26 Posted **Sep 20, 2008, 7:00 PM**

This would be a wonderful new focal point for the Oakland skyline. I hope it gets built someday.

Gordo · #27 Posted **Sep 20, 2008, 7:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sf94114

I disagree w/ post #20 by gophertherapist... I have yet to figure out how to box and move someones quote...anyway... The Planning Commission, Ron Dellums, The City Council, the Planning Department, etc. all strongly support this project. The Planning Department is currently working on redoing their zoning for Downtown, and the core corridors Downtown will not have any height limits at all. Ron Dellums... and god that man is utterly useless...but at least he is very supportive of no height limits. I also know that people in Planning support this as well. It is not going to get watered down. This is not to say though that Oakland will not make them just through hoops but I guarentee you that Oakland is going to try to make those hoops as easy for Senor Wang to jump through!

Wait for the public input...

The City Council (or at least certain members) will turn on a dime if there are enough complaints about this project.

kenratboy · #28 Posted **Sep 30, 2008, 5:57 AM**

That is not only tall, but massive (1.5 million sq. ft.!!!)

I would love to see more renderings of this. Wonder if this even has a chance of happening?

Will it have a Your Black Muslim Bakery in it :p

centralcali19 · #29 Posted **Oct 25, 2008, 4:14 PM**

wow! it is massive ...good job Oakland!

San Frangelino · #30 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 2:23 AM**

No news...just a link to the page featuring this building on SOM's website.

http://www.som.com/content.cfm/encin..._1938_broadway

NYguy · #31 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 3:29 AM**

Quote:

It's a little fat from some angles, but would be one of the nicer looking buildings on the west coast.

Jibba · #32 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 6:03 AM**

Interesting design, to be sure. The "unraveling" look of the structure is a little kitschy, but most of the details look quite elegant.

J_Taylor · #33 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 9:49 PM**

Very nice...hope it gets built like the renderings show.

M II A II R II K · #34 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 10:57 PM**

Isn't Oakland notorious for making sure tall proposals never see the light of day though...

sf94114 · #35 Posted **Dec 5, 2008, 12:04 AM**

I work for the City of Oakland and everyone at the City is in favor of this project that I know. In fact the Planning Department has changed or is in the process of changing the zoning in Downtown Oakland so that there will be NO HEIGHT LIMITS!!! on any of the major streets in Downtown. Also, the Mayor and other agencies in the City strongly support no height limits as well as this project. Everyone I work with was hoping it would have been much taller. But basically even though everyone supports this project...no one is making a big deal of it. Its not brought up that much.

That is not to say that the NIMBYS won't come out but its doubtful. There is no housing around this tower for a few blocks and the NIMBY's will not, I guarentee you, get past the Planning Department or the Planning Commission to shoot this one down. Rationale Oaklanders know that beggars can't be too choosy especially something thats as good as this.

Oakland does not have a reputation for shooting down proposals because there are almost never any proposals to begin with. The City just approved a couple of 20-25 storey towers. There were a couple residential towers that were causing controversy a couple years back but one of them was because of the "historic garden" that it was going on...not necessarily the height.

leftopolis · #36 Posted **Dec 6, 2008, 3:44 AM**

I love this building. It would be great for Oakland, and i look forward to watching it rise. I agree that it's not so much the hoops Oakland makes developers jump through--quite the contrary, and in this case I think the city will be eager to bend over backwards to help make it happen. I also agree that it's more a case of Oakland having a dearth of such proposals. The recent example of difficulty with a 40+/- story condo was a matter of location. This is in downtown.

It's an iconic building, with minimal shortcomings as far as design. A great new tallest that will only make Oakland more attractive to residents, business development and tourists alike. San Francisco still has the Pyramid(and hopefully a new replacement iconic building in the next few years), Portland has "Big Pink", Calgary has (under cunstruction) The Bow...anyway, that's the kind of building this will be. Additionally, it's a creative design that's interesting, but not too far out that only architecture buffs appreciate it. Do it up, Oak-town!

stepper77 · #37 Posted **Dec 6, 2008, 5:25 AM**

I am really excited about this! I work at the Kaiser Building at 20th & Lakeshore and we would have an amazing view of this building. Thank you sf94114 for all the encouraging info. I hope this - and many others - goes through. Oakland definitely deserves it!

BTinSF · #38 Posted **Dec 6, 2008, 8:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

Isn't Oakland notorious for making sure tall proposals never see the light of day though...

Not that I know of. You are perhaps thinking of my fair city across the Bay. I'd say that of the 3 cities bordering San Francisco Bay (SF, Oakland and San Jose) Oakland is the most positive about highrise development, but it is also the least economically successful and so doesn't get that many really good (and certainly really tall) proposals by developers with the actual resources to carry them out. If the developer of this building can pull it off, especially in the current economy, I doubt the city would stop him.

FYI, SF, of course, gets plenty of proposals but has strict height limits and a strong Planning Dept., intense NIMBYism and a view of itself as a charming Victorian village that is incompatible with the highrise development its actual economy needs. Highrises get built, as a check of the threads here shows, but each one is a struggle. San Jose probably would be happy to build tall but can't because of FAA height restrictions due to the location of its airport.

Urbannizer · #39 Posted **Aug 13, 2015, 4:44 AM**

Cancelled

https://oaklandwiki.org/Encinal_Tower

Quote:

Encinal Tower was a proposed 56-story, 715' skyscraper that would have been located at the corner of 19th Street and Broadway in Downtown Oakland. The proposal was the brainchild of developer Peter Wang and would have contained 942,000 sq. ft. of office space, six floors of parking, topped by luxury housing. The proposal was withdrawn in 2010, and in November 2012, the San Francisco Business Times reported that the property had been sold to a new developer proposing a 28-story building. Note that title records indicate that title to the three parcels comprising the site is still held by two LLCs affiliated with Mr. Wang, although subject to an option to purchase held by a separate LLC apparently controlled by the new developer, Seth Hamalian. The one-acre site is currently occupied by the historic Tapscott Building and a parking lot.